The Day We Fell Apart
by Tsugi no mai hakuren
Summary: What if Kakashi was late? What if Sasuke hesitated? Will Sakura be able to handle events as the unfold from the Uchiha's side, or will she end it? Because she just couldn't bear to see him fall.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: What if Kakashi hadn't made it in time? What if Sasuke hesitated? Will Sakura be able to handle events as they unfold from the Uchiha's side or will she find a way to end it - for good, for both of them, because she just couldn't bare to be without him.

**¤The Day We Fell Apart¤**

**- - - What happened to the man who used to take me . . . straight into misery? - - -**

Sakura bent beside the redhead. She was in bad shape, its as though she was pierced by a blade...she wondered if maybe...Sasuke-kun had done this?

Suddenly, she heard the chirping of birds, it was soft, but she heard it. Chidori! She ducked and pushed away with her hands just as he attacked.

''S...Sasuke-kun...'' it didn't come out as unsure or as a question, it just sounded sad.

She was right before, he was different. He was raw, like he felt nothing, had no regrets - only hatred.

''You've grown up.'' he commented coldly, but there was no fondness in his voice.

''I was forced to.''

I saw his eyebrow twitch, as if he wanted to frown, but refrained from doing so.

Sakura pulled on her gloves and Sasuke simply watched her.

''Leave, or I'll kill you.''

Sakura smiled sadly. ''I can't, I have to save you.''

''Chidori Nagashi.'' Sasuke called and his Chidori extended into a blade, Sakura flipped away and rushed to him.

As she swung her punch though, Sasuke grabbed her throat roughly, a small amount of lightning still dancing at his fingertips as he touched her.

Sakura flinched as they shocked her. As quickly as she could, she brought her foot up and kicked him square in the chest, enough to cause hindering damage - not enough to kill him.

Sasuke coughed at the impact, a trail of blood running from his lips. His grip of her throat tightened and she squirmed a little, but tried not to show emotion.

Her hand reached up, curling around his arm.

''Let go.'' she warned in a strained voice.

Sasuke gave her a sadistic smirk.

She could feel the lightning gathering and took one squeeze at his arm, breaking it. She hit it away and before he could react, she punched him in the face, sending him flying a few feet. She was about to launch another attack, but she was stopped by a blade against her neck.

''Quick as always...Sasuke-kun.''

She didn't show it, she never would, but she was afraid. So far, she knew she had been lucky. Sasuke was tired, he'd probably just been through a hell of a fight. Even if that gave her a slight chance at victory, it was just slight. Sasuke was still stronger than her. The only reason she had a chance was because he hadn't used his Sharingan yet.

Without warning, a Chidori blade went through her shoulder. Sakura screamed, and subconsciously grabbed Sasuke's shirt behind her. She wasn't aware of the action, it was out of old habit, as her teammate he had protected her.

Sasuke was very aware of what she had done, as he looked down he did frown. To him, for the first time in a long time...this felt...wrong. This was Sakura, weak, clever Sakura. Even if she wasn't as weak anymore. His heart was beating faster and faster as he ignored the pain in his broken arm and retracted the Chidori. She screamed again as he pulled it out of her.

She brought her elbow in his stomach sending him staggering back as she fell to her knees, green chakra flowing out of her hands as she attempted to heal the wound.

Sasuke moved to attack again, but as Sakura turned to looked at him, the look made him stop. There was anger, yes, but the betrayal was more overwhelming.

Sasuke took another step. He shouldn't care. He should just end this quickly, out of respect.

''Stop toying with me.'' she spat.

Emotionlessly, Sasuke looked down at her.

As he looked into her eyes, he couldn't do it. It angered him. But all he could remember was her being his teammate and the way he always protected her, and even during the chuunin exams when she had despite not having a chance, protected them.

Sasuke closed his eyes. What the fuck was wrong with him? He shook his head and put his katana away.

''What? Is this it? Am I not worth it?'' she stood up and grabbed his wrist. ''What is wrong with you, Sasuke-kun?''

''I could kill you right now, you know that, why do you still continue to fight?''

''For YOU!'' she screamed and then looked away, ''I can't stand seeing you like this...'' she whispered.

''You never fucking listen, I told you not to bother with me anymore.''

Sakura looked up at him, the sad smile plastered on her lips once again. ''I care about you, you can't just turn it off even if you're told, or even if they die, don't you know that...?''

She saw him frown. Yes, he knew. She saw it in his eyes, and for the first time since she arrived she saw **him - **she saw Sasuke-kun.

Sakura turned and walked over to Karin.

''Im gonna heal you, ok?''

Karin made no movement, even if she was awake.

Sakura began to heal the wound efficiently, Sasuke just watched wordlessly.

10 minutes passed and neither spoke.

Sakura removed her hands from the girl and looked up at Sasuke. ''Shes out of immediate danger, but it would be better for me to treat her in a more sterile environment.''

Sasuke didn't seem to care, he only nodded stiffly.

''Konoha...'' the girl chocked and Sakura looked down at her. ''Coming...''

''Oh.'' Sakura looked over at the woods.

''What is it?''

''They're coming.'' but the it hit her, ''No wait, it can't be...the sleep should take 3 hours at most to wear off,'' she turned to the redhead. ''How many?''

''One...''

''Sai...'' Sakura whispered and then looked up at Sasuke. ''Its Kakashi-sensei.''

For a second his eyes widened before his normal facade returned. ''We're leaving.''

''If you don't care anymore, I'd like to take her to a hospital.''

''No, you're coming with me.''

''Excuse me?''

''You will be useful, come.''

''I...''

''Didn't you say that you've abandoned Konoha?''

Sakura swallowed and nodded. ''I did.''

''Come.''

Sakura lifted the girl and silently followed. ''Sakura.''

She stopped, looking up into his dark eyes. ''Leave her.''

''But Sas-''

''Leave her.'' he repeated before walking on.


	2. 2 Torn  Part 1

Hihi! Thanks for my reviewers :) and for everyone who alerted + favorited this...but seriously...review please lol O.o.

Summary: What if Kakashi hadn't made it in time? What if Sasuke hesitated? Will Sakura be able to handle events as they unfold from the Uchiha's side or will she find a way to end it - for good, for both of them, because she just couldn't bare to be without him.

Torn

I thought I saw a man brought to life,

He was warm - he came around - and he was dignified,

He showed me what it was to cry,

Well, you couldn't be that man I adored,

You don't seem to know - seem to care - what your heart is for,

but I don't know him anymore,

There's nothing where you used to lie!

My conversation has run dry!

That's what's going on,

- nothing's fine -

I'm torn.

Chapter 1 - Part 1

Sakura had never run so fast in her life, her legs were on fire, her lungs burned and she felt like she was going to collapse at any second. Sasuke didn't seem to be fazed, even after the battle he had with Danzou. He wasn't slowing down for her at all, not that she expected he would. Was what being a missing-nin was like? Was she a missing-nin now? Clearly, she hadn't thought this through.

Suddenly, he stopped.

Sakura couldn't stop the relief from coming onto her face.

''What?'' she breathed out, still trying to catch her breath.

''We're stopping here for the night.'' he informed her in his usual emotionless voice. He did, however, throw her a side-ways glance, as if he had expected her to be this weak.

Sasuke jumped down to the forest floor effortlessly.

Sakura followed, ignoring the screaming of her legs.

She sat down, leaning against the bark of a tree. Her eyes watched Sasuke warily.

''I'll be back.'' he told her and she watched his hand grab his katana. Sakura stiffened.

''Don't run.'' he warned, the threat clear, before he disappeared.

Sakura waited with bated breath until she couldn't feel his presence anymore before she relaxed.

She stretched out her tired muscles, pulled off her Konoha robe and set it aside.

What the hell did she get herself into? She should have killed him. She had many chances...why didn't she do it?

She rolled her shoulder, there was a dull pain from where he had stabbed her, but she ignored it, deciding to reserve her chakra for when she would heal him. One thing was clear though, she hadn't killed him - but he hadn't killed her either...yet.

''This is a surprise.''

Sakura froze, and turned her head, looking up with wide eyes.

''You...'' she breathed.

''Yes. Me.'' he replied in a bored tone as he stepped towards her.

Sakura stood up, keeping her back against the tree bark. She wouldn't run, she highly doubted she could get away anyway.

''You're interfering. I can't have you ruining my plans.'' he reached for her, but stopped.

''Get away from her, Madara.'' came Sasuke's voice from behind.

''Madara?'' Sakura gasped.

''Sasuke,'' Madara began, ignoring Sakura.

''Leave, I have no business with you at the moment.'' Sasuke said, annoyance oozing from his tone.

Madara gave a sigh and looked over at Sakura. She looked up at him, she saw the Sharingan and frowned, before averting her eyes.

She heard shuffling and Sasuke dropped the fire wood where Madara had once been.

The sun was setting in the distance.

x-x-x-x-

Kakashi bent next to Karin. She would survive from what he could tell, but she was unconscious. He could tell from her wound that Chidori or some form of it was the cause. Sasuke and Sakura were already gone. Kakashi let out a heavy sigh. What was Sakura thinking? He knew she would never betray Konoha, but now that Danzou was Hokage, that certainly changed things. Naruto came dashing out of the woods at full speed, already in sage mode.

''Kakashi-sensei!'' he called as he came to a stop next to the jounin.

Naruto looked around with wide eyes. ''Where are they?''

Kakashi swallowed. ''Gone.''

''WHAT?'' Naruto tried to sense something...anything...

The silence stretched out as Naruto tried harder but felt nothing.

''No...'' Naruto fell to his knees. He should have realized! He should have done something to stop her!

He punched the stone floor beneath him.

''Sakura-chan!'' he called in a strangled cry.

Kakashi looked down at Naruto. He couldn't tell him to calm down, if he was a different man, he wouldve been crying.

''He's going to kill her, Kakashi-sensei!''

''That's only the worst-case scenario, Naruto.'' Kakashi replied, but still, a speck of doubt - of fear - slipped into his voice.

''He...won't kill her...yet...'' came the choke from the red-head.

''What?'' Naruto demanded as he grabbed her shirt.

''Naruto.'' Kakashi laid a hand on Naruto's wrist.

''He...needs her...a medical Shino...-bi.''

''Kakashi-sensei!''

''We need to return to the village first and relay what Kazekage-sama told us. Then Kiba we'll use Kiba and Akamaru to find her.''

Naruto was about to protest but Kakashi gave him a look that silenced him. ''Sakura is important to me too...but preventing a war is what takes priority, you know that.''

Naruto clenched his jaw and looked away - he knew Kakashi was right.

x-x-x-x-

The sun had gone down while Sasuke made the fire but Sakura still hadn't moved from her spot. Somehow, she had made peace (or some form of denial) with the fact that Sasuke had joined Akatsuki and even accepted the fact that he may not return home on his own, she didn't expect him to be like this...to have turned into this person.

And Madara, or Tobi as she knew him, had the Sharingan, which pointed to the fact that he was Uchiha Madara, which would explain why Sasuke would trust him and join Akatsuki in the first place. If that was true then Madara...would have to be the same Madara who was there when Konoha was established...to her, it was simply impossible. That would mean that he had to have been alive with Tsunade's grandfather. It made no sense.

''Eat.''

Sakura startled out of her thoughts, Sasuke was next to her, holding out a piece of bread.

Sakura eyed the bread suspiciously. ''Do you really think I would trust you?'' she asked bitterly.

Sasuke gave her that usual, bored stare, before he took a bite of the bread, gave deliberate chews and swallowed it.

Sakura looked away. ''Sorry. I'm not really hungry.''

He didn't say anything more as he stepped away and sat down on the other side of the fire.

It was silent for what seemed like hours. Sasuke stared with narrowed eyes into the fire. Why would Madara want to kill Sakura? 'I won't have you ruining my plans' he told her. Obviously Madara had been trying to get Sasuke alone, or so it seemed. Separating him from Suigetsu and Juugo and then telling him to kill Karin (even if she had overstayed her welcome).

''Why did you join Akatsuki?'' Sakura's voice cut through the silence like a knife.

Sasuke didn't show any sign that he'd heard her. Minutes passed where he didn't answer, Sakura had even given up, but then he actually surprised her. ''Why did you betray Konoha?''

She was about to deny it, but then she found out that it was exactly what she did.

Sasuke expected an answer that would be related to him. 'To bring you home.' - their usual shit.

''The system is screwed.''

His eyes flicked to her's.

''Danzou became Hokage, over so many more _**trustable**_ people. Kakashi-sensei, or even Inoichi-san. The only logical conclusion would be that this was planned and Tsunade-shisou never trusted the elders, so its only fair that I point the finger at them...not that its possible now.''

Sasuke immediately made the connection - Sakura had trained under the fifth, and it was obvious that Danzou had used the Sharingan to manipulate the council, but if Sakura wanted to blame the system he wasn't going to correct her.

''So...why Akatsuki?''

''For that very reason.''

''Excuse me?''

''The elders and Konoha did something unforgivable.''

Sakura's hands dug into the ground beneath her.

''Unforgivable...like what, Sasuke-kun?''

Sasuke watched her, could he really tell her?

She frowned. ''Naruto?'' it came out as a soft murmur.

Sakura looked up at Sasuke. ''Naruto might know. He is more serious than ever about helping you. He wanted to tell me, but Kakashi-sensei stopped him.''

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. ''How would they-'' he stopped. Madara. What the fuck was he planning? Sasuke wasn't planning to be his puppet...but he couldn't tell Sakura. Not yet.

Sakura waited for him to continue, but it never came, his dark eyes had focussed on the fire again.

Sakura walked around the fire. ''Let me heal you.'' she told him, trying to keep the defeat from her voice.

She crouched next to him and reached out.

Sasuke made to grab her wrists but his vision blurred and...he missed.

Sakura stopped moving, waiting for the pressure on her wrists...but nothing came.

''Sasuke-kun?''

He was blinking rapidly staring out in front of him.

''Sasuke-kun?'' she called again, the worry creeping into her voice.

Pain shot into his eyes and he reached up to grab his head, before he fell back, he felt her hand behind his head and her cry of his name was the last thing he heard before it went black.

x-x-x-x-

Sakura managed to heal his wounds. She had pushed out more chakra than she had initially thought she would need, but he had more wounds than she was aware of, even some old, unattended ones.

When she was finished she looked around their campsite, Madara could return at any time. Sasuke wasn't awake now, so he couldn't help her and she was low on chakra. Sakura sighed and pulled a soldier pill from her pouch, she rolled it between her thumb and index finger. If she ate it, her chakra would get a boost, but she would come down from it hard later. Sakura bit her lip, she wanted to run. He was dark, she couldn't trust him. But she couldn't run. She had to end it.

Sakura pushed the soldier pill into her pouch. She'd keep watch for as long as she was able to stay awake.

x-x-x-x-

Naruto crouched next to Kiba, shaking his shoulder. ''Kiba, come on, wake up.''

Kiba groaned and swatted Naruto away.

''We need to wait for it to wear off.'' Kakashi said with a sigh.

''Where is she?''

Naruto looked over at Sai, who was only pretending to be asleep and then immediately broke eye contact.

Kakashi realized Naruto wasn't going to speak so he adjusted Karin on his back and said it himself. ''Sakura is with Sasuke.''

Sai closed his eyes again, his face was an emotionless mask, but both Naruto and Kakashi noticed how Sai's fists were tightly clenched at his sides.

x-x-x-x-

Sasuke awoke with a start, his vision was still blurry, but he could just barely make out his surroundings. Sakura was asleep a little away from him, but close enough that he could feel her heat.

Sasuke stood up and pulled his shirt on. He blinked. He never took off his shirt!

Although his body felt better than ever. Sakura healed him...she was useful after all.

Sasuke looked around for the

''Sasuke.''

His head snapped to the left.

''Madara. I expected you sooner.''

''Your eyes have gotten worse, you've used Susano'o too much. I can tell that you can barely see as we speak.''

''I want Itachi's eyes.''

Madara smirked beneath his mask and looked over to Sakura. ''What about the girl?''

''Shes coming too. Don't touch her.''

x-x-x-x-

Sakura's eyes snapped open, taking in her surroundings with wide and alert eyes. She was on the floor, and she wasn't in the forest anymore...but where was Sasuke?

Sakura analyzed the room. It was dark, clammy and it had no windows. Maybe she was underground? Some hideout? Sakura took a small pebble between her index finger and thumb. With no effort she crushed it into dust. They hadn't sealed her chakra, she didn't know if that was good or bad, and at the moment she didn't care, she needed to get out of here. Slowly, she stood up and made her way to the door, she pulled on it, expecting it to be locked - it wasn't, and now hung a little loose off its hinges. Sakura paid it no mind as she passed it, stepping cautiously into the darkened corridor. She kept one hand on the wall, and her guard up as she took deliberate steps along the corridor. She was just following her gut here, but in reality she was terrified. She was alone. In her enemy's stronghold, or what she assumed as such. She couldn't exactly call Sasuke an ally, as much as she wanted to. He had tried to kill her, she wouldn't forget it.

''He's not here.'' an eerie voice spoke from behind her and Sakura spun around, in a defensive stance. The one who spoke was staring at her from the wall.

She knew him from the bingo book. Zetsu.

''Who?'' she asked.

''Madara.'' a deep voice answered, it was different from the one before.

Sakura swallowed. ''Where is Sasuke-kun?''

''Hmm, I wonder if I should tell you?'' the light voice teased.

''He's down the hall, second corridor on your right, third door on the left.'' the deep voice said in the same tone as before.

Sakura took a step back and then another before she turned away, moving quickly.

She found the room easily enough and pushed the door open.

Sasuke was laying down on a table, bandages covered his eyes, but it was the wall behind him that caught her attention. The wall had glass containers, filled with eyes...Sharingan eyes.

She felt disgusted as she approached his still form. She reached up and trailed her fingertips over the bandages...what exactly did he do?

''Sakura?''

Her fingers twitched before being pulled back.

''Your eyes...'' she whispered in question.

''I had Itachi's eyes transplanted.'' he told her plainly as if they were talking about the weather, but she heard the emotion beneath.

Sakura felt so many things at that moment sadness, anger, disgust...''How could you do that? I know he was a lot of things Sasuke, but he was still your brother!'' Sakura expected to be killed for that statement, but Sasuke stiffened.

He'd always thought Sakura spoke without knowing, but sometimes, times like now, she was too perceptive for her own good.

''That's exactly why I did it.'' he spoke almost softly...and then he laughed, something Sakura had never heard, and she could only stare at the empty sound of it.

''I can feel the power flowing through me! With this I'll finally be able to crush Naruto and destroy Konoha!''

''No.'' Sakura said, almost calmly, a small smile on her face.

''No?'' he demanded.

''There's no way you can beat Naruto.''

Sasuke ground his teeth together. ''Why?''

''Because unlike you, Naruto knows the meaning of true strength.''

XxxxxxxX

There ya go! PLEASE REVIEW! If you do I'll update soon XD

Zana-Lee

xoxo


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